


Like A Sea Without A Shore

by wordsnnotes



Series: Up On The Shore [2]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Beach, Alternate Universe - Magic, Anxiety, First Dates, M/M, Magic, Minor Injuries, Ocean, POV Liam Payne, Underage Smoking, it's not graphic at all but just in case
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:14:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27899683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordsnnotes/pseuds/wordsnnotes
Summary: He walked to the beach swiftly, hoping he wouldn't be late, and wondering if he should have brought something. He hadn't even thought to ask Zayn... Maybe "hanging out" meant having some kind of picnic with all of his friends, and Liam would make a terrible impression by showing up with empty hands.Or: Zayn asked Liam if he wanted to "hang out" at the beach on Saturday, but Liam doesn't know if it's a date or not.
Relationships: Zayn Malik/Liam Payne
Series: Up On The Shore [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2042971
Comments: 13
Kudos: 23





	Like A Sea Without A Shore

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!  
> So, this fic is a little "spin-off" from Up On The Shore, but I don't think you need to have read it to understand what's going on in this one (be my guest if you want to, though 😬) Basically, all you need to know is that Liam and Zayn live on an island, they're teenagers, and they have magic.
> 
> Thank you so much to Cami who suggested I write a fic about the beach from Liam's POV. I honestly never expected to add anything to the "UOTS universe", so thank you for giving me the opportunity to do it! ily lots 🤍  
> Hope you enjoy 💞
> 
> The title is from the song [Woman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOXVdDULHPc) by City & Colour. The full line is: "my love is never ending like a sea without a shore" 🤧

“Do you wanna hang out at the beach on Saturday afternoon?” was what Zayn had asked him at the end of their magic practice on Monday, and Liam hadn't stopped thinking about it ever since.

He'd accepted, of course, but he couldn't help wondering what exactly he'd said yes to.

Did _hanging out_ involve some kind of casual meeting, strictly platonic, and possibly with other people? Or had Zayn actually asked him out on a date? The beach _was_ an ideal place for it, after all, and Liam had also noticed that the other boy had been blushing when he'd made the offer.

At the same time, he just could not believe that Zayn Malik, aka the school's—nay, the island's—heartthrob would ask someone as plain as Liam Payne on a date. Something just didn't add up, and Liam was probably taking his desires for reality.

As a result, he'd been spending the whole Friday evening _and_ Saturday morning trying to decide what to wear. What was worse: going for his usual T-shirt and pair of jeans, at the risk of being underdressed, or going all the way with slacks and a fancy shirt, at the risk of being overdressed?

Ten minutes before he had to go, in a panic, he eventually went for his nicest pair of jeans and a simple green button down shirt, which his mother had told him complemented his brown eyes well.

Thank god for mothers.

He walked to the beach swiftly, hoping he wouldn't be late, and wondering if he should have brought something. He hadn't even thought to ask Zayn... Maybe _hanging out_ meant having some kind of picnic with all of Zayn's friends, and Liam would make a terrible impression by showing up empty handed.

He almost turned back to go grab something—anything—at his house, but he could already see the blue line of the sea in the distance, and he figured it would be worse to be late anyway.

A few minutes later, he was stepping onto the beach. It was 4 p.m. on a grey September day, and apart from a group of children playing by the rocks, and an old man walking his dog along the shore, there was no one to be seen. No Zayn either.

As he sat on a driftwood log facing the sea, Liam took a look at his watch and tried to reason with himself. He was only a few minutes late, and surely Zayn would be here soon too. Plus, there was no party of young people in sight, and this was definitely a good sign.

On the other hand, maybe Zayn had completely forgotten about him. Maybe his plan with his friends—if it existed—had been canceled, and he'd neglected to tell Liam. Maybe he'd only asked him to hang out as a joke, or to mock him. Maybe something had happened to him on the way there, or maybe he _did_ make it to the beach, but got too close to the water or something.

At this point, Liam didn't even know which of these options horrified him the most, and he wished his brain to stop working just for a minute.

To try and calm himself, he looked at the sea. It was peaceful today, the small waves hardly disturbing the surface, which could have been that of a lake. The water was as grey as the sky, and Liam was sure that other people might have found it boring or ugly, but he actually liked it. The toneless colour had some kind of warm depth to it, and it comforted him.

Since he was living so close to it, he'd seen the sea in pretty much all of its seasonal states throughout the years: glittering under the sun in the middle of July, turquoise blue and bittersweet at the end of summer, stormy with yellow and orange streaks in November, completely surreal as the snow was falling upon it that one time when he was seven, and—his favourite—soothingly pink and foggy at sunrise in the first days of Spring.

Today's version might enter the ranking at second place, he thought. What would the third place be, though? Maybe that one sunset on the day he'd turned twelve—that had been a special one.

He was interrupted in his thoughts by Zayn suddenly appearing in front of him, breathless from running.

“Gosh, Liam, I'm so sorry I'm late.”

“It's alright,” Liam smiled, feeling a pang in his heart, as he always did whenever he saw the other boy. He patted a spot on the log next to him, and added: “Come sit and get some rest.”

“Seriously, I'm very sorry,” Zayn said as he sat down, closer to Liam than what he had expected, and he couldn't help reading into it and feel slightly hopeful.

“I could feel Waliyha—my older sister—was very distressed at the last minute, and it turns out her boyfriend just broke up with her,” Zayn explained. “So of course, I had to ask my mum to come back home, and make Waliyha tea while she waited, you know how it goes.”

“Of course,” Liam nodded. “I've had my fair share of big sister drama too. Is Waliyha gonna be okay, though?”

“Yeah, eventually, I guess,” Zayn shrugged. “Anyway, I'm here now, and before we start,” —start _what_ , Liam thought confusedly, still having no idea what was actually happening—“I wanted to talk to you about something,” Zayn continued.

“Oh, er, alright.”

That sounded serious. What if Zayn had changed his mind and didn't want to hang out with him anymore?

For the first time since he'd arrived, Liam took a proper look at him, searching for some kind of clue. But Zayn was the type of guy who exuded sophistication, no matter what he was wearing. Which today was tight black jeans and a button-down shirt with large black and white stripes. It was quite a bold choice, and Liam was a little jealous of it, actually. He felt like if he'd tried wearing that type of shirt, he'd end up looking ridiculous, while Zayn just looked good. Perfect, even. In any case, that didn't tell him much about the date/not a date situation.

He was so focused on Zayn's appearance that he completely missed the beginning of what the other boy was saying, and when he tuned in into it, it was to hear Zayn finish with:

“So yeah, Louis told me I should speak to you about it beforehands, but I chickened out, and now here we are.”

Chickened out? Louis? What?? Liam had always assumed the two of them were best friends, but were they possibly dating? And was that what Zayn wanted to tell him about? Why would he chicken out though?

Liam just had to clear this up, no matter how embarrassing it was to have Zayn repeat what he'd just said.

“Sorry, I got distracted here for a minute,” he admitted, praying Zayn wouldn't ask him by _what_. “What did Louis tell you to speak to me about?”

“Oh, um, I hadn't reached that part yet, actually, so it's all good,” Zayn smiled reassuringly, but he was beginning to blush too. “So, the thing is, I was kinda hoping today could be a date? If you wanted to, of course... It can totally be nothing, otherwise. Or, I mean, not that hanging out as friends is nothing, obviously, but you know what I mean. Right?”

Witnessing Zayn— _the_ Zayn Malik—be all flustered and embarrassed was truly something, especially considering that it was on Liam'—Liam's!—account. He could have died right there, killed by a seagull or something, and he wouldn't have even cared.

“You're not saying anything,” Zayn pointed out, visibly alarmed.

Shit. Liam was truly the worst person to have ever walked on Stonell's ground.

“Sorry, I was a bit shocked, I s'ppose,” he stammered. “But I'd love this to be a date. Can't quite believe _you_ 'd want that too.”

“Why wouldn't I?” Zayn asked with a frown.

“Dunno. Guess I thought you just saw me as a friend.”

“Don't get me wrong, I think you make a great friend. I mean, you're caring, and patient, and honest, and incredibly funny too. But I just... I think maybe we'd be a good match, y'know?”

Liam turned red under the compliments.

“Thanks,” he mumbled. “I think so too. And you're the one who's all these things, and more.”

“Great,” Zayn smiled, eluding Liam's remark like he didn't know what to answer, and clapping his hands. “Now let's finally start this date.”

“Right. So how should we proceed?” Liam asked curiously. “I've actually never been on a date before.”

He felt weirdly okay admitting it to Zayn. Despite the catastrophic scenarios his irrationally anxious mind had come up with earlier, he would have actually trusted the other boy with his life.

“Don't worry, I haven't either,” Zayn said lightly, as if it wasn't such a big deal, and Liam started to believe it truly wasn't. “Well, Louis insists that we were briefly 'dating' back in kindergarten, but I think he's just messing with me, to be honest,” he continued with a smile. “Anyway, I brought cookies, if you're hungry? I wanted to bring lassi too, but I didn't have time to make it, and I figured it's too cold today anyway. Maybe next time..."

He interrupted himself and blushed, and they both knew it was because he'd assumed there would be a next time. Liam wanted to say that he was hoping it would be the case, but Zayn started speaking again, still looking flushed:

"Anyway, I thought we could have a snack, and then, I don't know, walk around. That sounds so lame, I'm sorry.”

“It doesn't,” Liam protested. “It sounds great, honestly. And also, I love cookies with a passion, so...”

“I know, I noticed you always have one after magic practice.”

“You noticed that?” Liam asked, still not quite believing that Zayn _liked_ him.

“Yeah, of course,” Zayn shrugged, not realising that it meant the world to Liam.

They ate in silence for the next few minutes, but it wasn't an awkward kind of silence. They were both staring at the sea and simply enjoying each other's company, and while maybe it wouldn't have been Liam's idea of the perfect date beforehands, it was quite possibly the happiest he’d felt in a while.

When he finished the last bite of his cookie, he broke the silence and said:

“So, while I was waiting for you earlier, I was thinking of my sea ranking.”

“Your sea ranking?” Zayn asked, looking at him like he was holding all the knowledge of the world, which was both extremely sweet and insanely stressful.

“You know, what kinds of sea are my favourite. Like, whether there's a lot of waves or not, what colour it is, that sort of stuff.”

Why was it that deep in the comfort of his own brain, the words came flowing smoothly, and sometimes even poetically, but whenever he had to speak to someone, all that escaped his mouth was some kind of jumbled nonsense?

But Zayn seemed to get it, bless his heart, as he enthusiastically answered:

“Oh, I see! So what's your ranking, then?”

“I'll tell you only if _you_ tell me,” Liam replied, surprising himself by how cheeky he’d sounded.

“Alright sir,” Zayn chuckled beautifully. “Let me think...”

But just as he was saying so, a large raindrop came splattering at the tip of his nose, making Liam want to kiss it off.

Too soon, he thought, while Zayn scrunched his nose, looked up at the dark clouds in the sky, and muttered, “Fuck”.

In a matter of seconds, it was pouring rain all around them, the water turning the sand from a bright yellow into some kind of brownish shade. And of course—they were only teenagers, after all—neither of them had thought to bring a raincoat or an umbrella.

“Should we sprint to the lighthouse and take shelter there?” Liam shouted for no reason. He felt like being dramatic, like he was in one of those romantic movies they sometimes saw on the television.

“Yes, let's go!” Zayn shouted back, going along with it.

He grabbed Liam's hand and pulled him up, and they started running towards the lighthouse, which was at the other end of the beach.

There were some treachery pebbles scattered along the way, and just as they were reaching the building, Zayn slipped on one of them, and fell to the ground.

“Shit, are you alright?” Liam asked, immediately kneeling down next to him and switching to healer mode.

“Er, my ankle hurts a little,” Zayn replied, and it must have been _a lot_ , because he was wincing with pain and clearly trying to fight back the tears.

“Maybe it's sprained.”

Liam reached out to touch it, but the mere contact made Zayn hiss in pain, so he swiftly dropped his hand and said:

“Do you think you can get up without stepping on it if I help you? I can probably heal it, but it would be easier if we were somewhere that's dry.”

“I can try,” Zayn said bravely.

So Liam surrounded his hips with his arm while Zayn held onto his shoulders, and with some difficulty, they managed to stand up then walk to the lighthouse as quickly as they could—which still took a few minutes.

Liam had never been inside the building before. Since it was magically operated, there was no lighthouse keeper, and as result it was known on the island as a place where young people met up to either smoke or make out. But today, it was completely empty, and once Liam closed the door behind them, all they could hear was their heavy breathing and the whistle of the wind engulfing through the stairs.

He delicately laid Zayn down on the floor and knelt beside him again, hoping he'd manage to heal him. He'd never had to do it for real before, had only ever practised on people who were actually fine, or on himself in the rare cases he had got injured over the years. So now it was a lot of pressure, especially since it was Zayn, and he hated to see him suffer. But he couldn't allow himself to get emotional, he had to stay calm and focused in order to gather his powers and use them efficiently.

“Alright, I'm gonna start,” he said. “Try to stay still, it should be quick and painless, hopefully.”

Zayn smiled at him and answered: “I trust you”, but Liam didn't want to put too much weight on these words, and he put them at the back of his mind for now.

He surrounded Zayn's thin ankle with his hands and emptied his mind, focusing only on his magic and the result he was aiming for.

A minute later, he opened his eyes, and saw that Zayn had sat up.

“Did it work?” he asked, swiftly taking his hands off his ankle, and missing the sensation already.

“Yes, of course!” Zayn smiled, moving his ankle left and right to demonstrate that it had healed.

“Great,” Liam nodded.

Even after all these years, it still amazed him that he held such power. He couldn't really credit himself for it because he hadn't chosen it, but he was very proud of his gift, even more so now that he'd actually used it to help someone else for the first time.

“Thank you,” Zayn said softly.

“Of course. I mean, it's nothing, really,” Liam chuckled, running a hand through his hair nervously. “Was the first time I actually healed someone,” he admitted after a pause.

“Oh. Well, I couldn't tell, you were really professional and all. You were definitely born to do this, I'd say.”

Liam hummed, sitting cross-legged on the floor next to Zayn, who took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, and wordlessly offered one to him. But Liam had never smoked before in his life, and he _really_ didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of the other boy today, so he declined.

“Thanks for saying that,” he said, watching Zayn light up a cigarette and wondering once again how on Earth he could possibly be on a date with him right now. “Like, I know our gifts are supposed to represent who we are, but I somehow always felt like a fraud having healing abilities.”

“What do you mean?” Zayn asked, exhaling the smoke with a frown.

“I just... I don't know, it's a lot of responsibility, I guess. I'm not sure I'm good enough for it,” Liam tried to explain.

“Hmm, I think I understand. It's true that you have the kind of gift that must be overwhelming. I feel the same way about mine too, sometimes.”

“Oh, really?”

Liam had always thought Zayn was perfectly suited to his gift. He had such a calming and understanding way to listen that it just made sense that his power should be to sense other people's emotions.

“Yes. You know, sometimes I feel like I don't deserve to be given access to something as personal and precious as someone else's emotions. Like, why me? But at the same time, I know we all have our particular gift for a reason. Even if _we_ don't see it yet, other people do, like I do for you.”

“And I for you,” Liam added.

“If you say so,” Zayn smiled, blushing a little. “And then, I think it's a matter of growing into it, you know? I feel like adults don't have those kinds of doubts anymore, because they know themselves better, and they have more trust in themselves and their abilities.”

Liam thought of his mother, and how confident she seemed to be with her gift. But surely, it hadn't always been the case. He'd have to ask her about it when he got home.

“Yeah, that makes sense,” he answered eventually, grateful for Zayn's insight.

“Hey, wanna go to the top?” Zayn suddenly suggested, already stubbing out his cigarette and standing up.

“Sure,” Liam smiled.

Zayn extended his hand to help him get up, and didn't release it once Liam was on his feet.

They climbed the stairs in silence, Liam trying—and failing—to force his heartbeat to slow down. He wondered if Zayn felt the same way, like he was about to burst from a combination of happiness and nervousness.

Once they got to the round room at the top, Zayn let his hand go. Liam felt dizzy with the sudden lack of contact, and the fact that they were so high up and surrounded with large windows that gave them a full view over the beach. He could see the log they had been sitting on earlier, and it looked so small and insignificant from up there... The sea, however, looked more majestic than ever, especially just after the rain.

They contemplated it in silence for a few seconds, admiring how the blue was mixing with the green, the white and the purple, like stripes of paint that were constantly in motion. The sun was starting to set now, and the sky looked like a reflection of the sea, a reflection that would be less stormy but just as beautiful.

“You know,” Zayn started, his soft voice meddling in perfectly with the quiet and peaceful atmosphere they'd found themselves in, “to answer your question of earlier, I think _this_ kind of sea is actually number 1 in my ranking.”

And he leaned forward to kiss him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading ✨  
> Feel free to tell me what you thought, leave kudos, or reblog the fic post [here](https://quelsentiment.tumblr.com/post/637215643168587776/like-a-sea-without-a-shore-by-wordsnnotes-aka-me)! That would make my day 💞


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